Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
April 11, 2017

Bantamweight Jamali Breedy continues to impress at the amateur boxing level and on Saturday night at the Horace Phillips Memorial Tournament at the Kensington Oval Bond, he was simply a cut above the rest.

So much so, that if one had diverted one’s gaze from the ring to exchange pleasantries with another fight fan, Breedy’s bout against Dominican Simon Joseph would have been missed. It took a mere 86 seconds of the type of relentless pressure that is his forte, not to mention a heavy left hand to Joseph’s solar plexus, to end the contest in the first round. That left hand had followed an equally potent blow to Joseph’s chin. Breedy, from the National Gym, would later receive the accolade of Best Boxer of the Tournament.

Mikhail Cox (right) ran into a left cross from Peter Murray and was floored. The fight was subsequenty stopped after a doctor’s check.

The National Gym’s Brandon Lee and Dominica’s Jamesy Greenaway had an excellent lightweight battle with Greenaway getting the better of the first two rounds by virtue of landing the more solid punches and with greater frequency. He had Lee under constant pressure. Then strangely he sat back in the third round and allowed Lee to force the pace to the extent that the Barbadian won the third round comfortably. If last impressions are easier to recall, then Lee’s two minutes in the final round swayed the decision in his favour. To Greenaway’s credit he was extremely gracious in defeat, congratulating the winner and shaking the hand of the referee.

Dominica’s Jamesy Greenaway (right) could consider himself unlucky to lose on points to Barbados’ Brandon Lee.

Graciousness, though, seemed the last thing on Jamal Edmund’s mind at the end of his middleweight fight against the Thunderbird Gym’s Kiomel Miller. Edmund, from the National Gym, was clearly the better fighter, demonstrating better poise and positioning, and slipping punches quite well. But it is boxing and the unexpected can occur. In the second round Edmund copped a blow to the nose that resulted in a cut. Plaster was applied and he was checked by the doctor but after the bleeding persisted the fight was stopped and Miller declared the winner on a technical knockout. Edmund clearly was not pleased at the stoppage and noticeably ignored Miller’s attempt at the customary handshake after the fight.

In another battle between the islands, Barbados’ Ision Fraser got the deserved decision over Dominica’s Royston Cooke. Fraser controlled the pace of the fight and landed the more telling blows. After three rounds he seemed as fresh as when he started, a testimony to his fitness. Perhaps it’s the genes as he is brother to distance runner Mary Fraser. Cooke, on the other hand, seemed incapable of maintaining his balance as the fight was reaching the end. Twice he fell over on Fraser, knocking him to the mat.

Jabali Breedy (backing) moving in for the proverbial kill against Dominica’s Simon Joseph.

The National Gym’s Justin Edwards was one of the classiest on show but must guard against showboating against better opponents and sticking out his unprotected chin. His opponent from the Belfield Gym, Stevenson Lythcott, seemed to forget he had entered the ring with a right hand. For the first two rounds against the southpaw Edwards, Lythcott did not throw a solitary right which would have been his ideal counter. When he did use it in the third round he had his best moments of the fight but by then – barring a knockout – Edwards was the clear points winner. Edwards’ win also booked him a flight to compete in the OECS Boxing Championships.

Jamal Edmund (left) looked the better of the boxers but would lose to Kiomel Miller after the fight was stopped because of a cut to his nose.

In other fights National Gym’s Teven Brewster won by TKO in the first round over Hard Judgment’s Zari Parris in a lightweight contest and in the shortest fight of the night, Donte Powlett of the National Gym defeated Thunderbird’s Sherwade Dear. The latter fight lasted approximately six seconds and had two hits – Powlett’s left hit to Dear’s jaw and Dear’s buttocks hitting the canvass.

Lightweight fighter Teven Brewster shows off his medal after his first round TKO of Zari Parris.